The first
teaching ever given by the Buddha was to five student monks
in a deer park. The Buddha spoke of the Four Noble Truths he
had discovered while struggling for enlightenment, these are
the central teachings of Buddhism. It was the Buddha's first
awareness that life brings with it illness, age, misery and
death that lead him to search for a deeper understanding of
how we live, and ways to end suffering.

Each of
these lessons explains the key Buddhist steps in understanding
the truth about life, the reasons behind those truths, the possibility
of change and the way of life that can lead to a life free of
suffering.

All Buddhists
study, meditate, think and act in ways that are designed to
help them come to a full understanding of each of these Four
Noble Truths and to stay on the path the Buddha says will lead
them to peace and happiness.

The first
of the Buddha's sermons after his enlightenment was describing
The Four Noble Truths; that life brings suffering, that suffering
is part of living, that suffering can be ended and that there
is a path that leads to the end of suffering. These ideas sum
up the key teachings of Buddhism.